10th International Evidence Based Library and Information Practice Conference (EBLIP10)

Call for Papers - Closed on 10th December

Conference Theme: "Using evidence in times of uncertainty"

The use of evidence is becoming more and more important as a routine part of library planning and decision making. Whilst in an era of library de-funding, calls for accountability, fake news, and complex information environments, evidence is becoming an essential component of advocacy.

This inclusive conference theme will encourage practitioners and researchers to think about what evidence is, how we collect it, and how we use it in these uncertain times.

The conference aims to offer a stimulating and varied programme of workshops, presentations, posters and discussions designed to appeal to library and information professionals convinced about using evidence-based approaches as well as those who may have previously thought that evidence- based practice (or attending an EBLIP conference) wasn’t for them. Pre-conference workshops covering a range of topics relating to research, evaluation and evidence-based practice will be held on 16 June 2019. The main conference will take place 17-19 June 2019.

Conference keynotes include David Stewart, the incoming President of the UK Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP), who will be talking about his enduring passion for research and evidence and Frankie Wilson of the Bodleian library, Oxford University who will be drawing on her new publication (with Selena Killick of the Open University) to discuss using library assessment data as evidence and Donna Scheeder of Library Strategies International and Past President of IFLA (2015-2017) who will be talking about the contribution of IFLA to advocacy and sustainable development goals.

The conference will provide a practical and accessible forum for librarians and information practitioners from all sectors to discover, use and disseminate evidence that may contribute to decision-making and advocacy in today’s professional practice. This includes (but is not inclusive to) those who:

Are interested in the evaluation of library services or library assessment

Need to demonstrate the impact or value of their library service

Wish to build an evidence-based approach to their practice

Collect data about their services but don’t know what to do with it

Wish to include the user experience in library decision making

Are interested in methods for evidence-based library and information practice

EBLIP conferences tend to be relatively small and particularly friendly places offering a stimulating environment for librarians across sectors to meet and share ideas. We welcome librarians attending an EBLIP conference for the first time and have provided a lively social programme to complement the academic content. Early bird registration for the full conference including conference dinner is £350). Further details regarding registration fees and the schedule can be found at https://eblip10.org/Registration/tabid/7715/Default.aspx.

The conference dinner will be held at Òran Mór, and an optional whiskey distillery tour is on offer following the conference.

Proposal submissions:

Submissions are invited in the form of 1) papers (for an oral presentation - 20 minutes) or 2) posters. For papers and posters, abstracts of no more than 350 words should be submitted using a structured abstract form (Title, Aim, Methods, Results, Discussion/Conclusion). Poster presenters will be invited to participate in a “Poster Madness” session (one of the highlights at EBLIP9)

Submissions should address an area related to the conference theme – “Using evidence in times of uncertainty.” All submissions will be subject to double blind peer review by members of the International Programme Committee. All submissions must be via the Easychair conference management system at https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=eblip10. (See below for details.)